


Now's as Good a Time as Any

by TWDObsessive



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Falling In Love, Feels, First Kiss, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Keeping warm, M/M, Romance, already in love without talking about it, cause I totally think it's legit for Daryl and Rick to say "I love you" in canon, inspired by Norman's joke about saying "I love you" during scenes, it's winter so I guess this counts as a Christmas fic, rick and Daryl just being Rick and Daryl, sort of eatablished
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-05-05 11:49:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5374214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TWDObsessive/pseuds/TWDObsessive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rick and Daryl are on watch during a cold, snowy winter night.  A look at their evolved relationship and what it's become without them even talking about it.</p><p>Just pure fluff and feels. Because they love each other!!  They love each other, Damnit!!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Now's as Good a Time as Any

**Author's Note:**

> Totally unbeta'd. No real plot. Just a little rickyl moment for then holidays.

They were on watch together. They usually planned the rotations that way. Daryl liked to think no one else noticed, but he was fairly certain the entire group was on to them. They’d been on the road for months now, almost giving in to a way-too-well-groomed stranger bearing photographs and applesauce who wanted to bring them to a walled community called Alexandria. But Terminus and Woodbury were too fresh and Rick had sent the man off without a second thought.

The summer had almost killed them. Hunger and thirst. Depression. Several of them nearly gave up. But they just kept moving. Kept living. Kept walking. And summer turned to fall and fall turned to winter and now they didn’t even know what state they were in any more. They just moved from home to home scavenging, hunting and staying in one place as long as the supplies held out. They missed the permanency of the prison and the farm. But at least they still all had each other. 

They’d been in their current home for about a week now. It was relatively secluded and stood high on a hill that overlooked surrounding valleys. It made for a good temporary home for however long they could make it work. 

It was cold. Colder than either Georgia native had been used to. They lost the map months ago and had been relatively aimless when they moved to a new location with no long term game plan now that DC was a bust. The best they could figure by the mountains was maybe West Virginia. 

Rick blew into his gloved hands to warm them up and he rubbed them together for the heat of friction. Daryl watched him. Daryl always watched Rick. From the second the sheriff walked into their camp at the quarry, Daryl felt a kinship. Well, maybe not the first second. But setting out in this world to risk his life looking for Merle of all people? It immediately earned Rick Daryl’s undying loyalty. And Daryl’s loyalty was something hard-earned but never lost once it was given. 

So many months, hell years by now, they fought side-by-side and no matter what the circumstances Daryl’s priority was _always_ Rick, Carl and Judith. Everyone knew this. The hunter walked closer to Rick and grabbed his hands and rubbed them with his own gloved fingers. “Cold,” Daryl said as he glanced up at Rick through his shaggy hair. 

Rick nodded, shivering. 

“Probably only need one out tonight, Rick. We can see for miles and they ain’t moving fast in this weather. Why don’t you go in?” Tiny snowflakes swirled down from the sky. Eugene had warned everyone that the way the snow was falling to expect it to continue. There was already nearly a foot on the ground. 

Rick shook his head. “Don’t like leaving you out here alone.” His body still shook with cold.

“Walker’s ain’t getting through this,” Daryl said motioning to the deep snow outside the covered porch they were standing on. 

“No, but people can. Could see our fire,” Rick answered thumbing towards the chimney.

Rick was a stubborn son-of-a-bitch. He didn’t like Daryl taking care of him without taking care of Daryl back. And that had been a constant for them. Both wanting to do everything they could for the other. 

“Carl and Michonne said they’d keep Judith for the whole night in the living room,” Rick said. “They’ll be warm.” 

Most of the family slept together in the main room by the fire. Mattresses and blankets strewn about. Glenn and Maggie took a room upstairs. So did Abraham and Rosita. Rick and Daryl usually stayed with the group although Daryl _knew_ Rick thought about it as much as he did. Thought about privacy and a room and just the two of them. 

They’d huddled close for warmth before. Plenty of times. Slow soft touches that spoke of more things than just mutual warmth. But they always stayed with the group surrounding them. They’d sat side-by-side on watch, arms touching, legs touching. They’d cried in each other’s arms on way too many occasions. And they loved each other. Daryl knew this. Rick told him on numerous occasions with eyes so sincere that he felt like he’d been physically caressed by them. 

And Daryl told Rick, too. More often than was necessary and always wondering if it would feel right one time to follow it up by leaning in to those pink lips. Rick was his sun and Daryl orbited him. That was his life’s purpose. To watch Rick from all angles and to protect him and his family and what he got from that was the affection that Rick always offered in words and in eyes. 

But sometimes their shared glances asked for more. More than they’d allow their words to ask for and Daryl was starting to wonder why they bothered with such a silly game. He’d never felt safer than he did in Rick’s embrace. When they’d be apart after the prison fell or after Woodbury or after the barn burned, they come back together in tight hugs. Long, slow hugs that weren’t as long and slow with anyone else they were separated from. With Rick and Daryl they lingered long enough to reveal more. And Daryl wanted more. It was that simple.

They stood close, his hands were still rubbing heat into Rick’s and he felt the heat of Rick’s breath against him. “I love you,” Daryl said softly. Not the first time and not the last.

“Love you too,” Rick answered, trying to move his hands to the outside so he could rub heat into Daryl’s. 

Daryl glanced up between his long bangs. He was only inches from Rick. They stood and talked intimately like that all the time. But Daryl was trying to say more this time. He wasn’t trying to say “I love you because we protect each other and care about one another and you're my brother and we've been through the worst things in the world together." What he meant was simply, that he loved Rick. In every way.

“I mean it. Not just ‘I got your back’. Like…” Daryl searched for words. “Like I _want_ your back. And your front. And your lips and…” Daryl stopped and looked back up again to meet Rick’s eyes. He wasn't’ afraid of the response. By this point it wasn’t a matter of if Rick wanted him back that way, it was a matter of who was going to ask for it first. And Daryl was nothing if not loyal. And he would fall on that sword, nervous but at the same time not.

Rick stayed quiet, rubbing Daryl’s hands together slower but not pulling away. In fact he took a step closer. 

“Abe and Rosita are up next on watch,” Rick replied. And in that Daryl heard more. He heard that an empty room would be available upstairs. And his step closer and slowed touches were more evidence that Rick wanted this too. And Daryl smiled at the thought of what might happen on this random wintery night in the middle of the apocalypse. 

They walked around the wrap-around deck checking in all directions and saw nothing but the scene from about every Christmas card ever made. Trees, soft falling snow, smoke from a chimney swirling above a rustic home in the woods. At the far end of the deck Daryl stood behind his leader and wrapped his arms around Rick, holding him tight and Rick relaxed into the embrace. 

"I was planning to make the first move soon, you know." Rick said as he looked out over the valley before then.

"No you weren't," Daryl responded.

"How do you know?" Rick asked with a smile on his voice.

"You worry too much about scaring me off. Thinking I'm too afraid for more,"

"I'm not really," Rick answered. "I know you feel the same way about me that I feel about you."

"Then why haven't you tried to seduce me yet, Officer Grimes," Daryl asked, a smile playing about his lips.

"Because it felt like we were already there. And words were overkill and I just needed to find a place to kiss you. Cause I knew you'd be ok with that."

Daryl put his forehead to the back of Rick's head, loose, rogue curls tickling at his face.

"Can kiss me upstairs later," Daryl suggested. "Or now."

Rick twisted in Daryl's embrace to face him and put his hands into Daryl's stringy hair and without any fanfare or any hesitation or nervous heartbeats, he pressed his lips to Daryl's and parted them looking to lock onto Daryl. Their bodies stayed close and Daryl's hands rubbed friction against Rick's arms as their lips found a home they'd been waiting patiently to move into for years.

It wasn't surprising. Not unexpected. Not breathtaking. It was natural and easy and already familiar.

"We probably should have been kissing months ago," Daryl whispered against Rick's lips.

"Maybe we can move to the next steps a little quicker, then," Rick murmured as he tucked his head into the crook of Daryl's neck for warmth.

"Yeah," Daryl smiled, wincing at Rick's cold nose burrowed into the base of his neck. Daryl rubbed Rick's back and held him tight, surrounding him as completely as he could with the warmth he had from his body.

"Cause it's fucking cold outside and I know thousands of ways to stay warm," Rick said softly against Daryl's chest.

"And also cause I love you," Daryl added quietly. 

"I love you, too."

**Author's Note:**

> Hope it warmed you up!


End file.
